Canter Transition Exercises

[Bugly]

I've recently moved house (and yards!) and am feeling the pinch a bit, and dont have any spare money for any lessons this month.

Does anyone have any simple exercises to try to improve up and downward canter transitions in the school? I always tense up coming into the corner, drop my inside leg and then panic and give ned a good old kick. Its something I've always had problems with because I anticipate a problem. Coming back to trot I really try to hold him in but ned does have a tendancy to fall back into the trot.

My transitions are not smooth, once we get going we are fine.

I'd love to hear any simple exercises you guys might have?

 

[WellyBaggins]

try a couple of leg yeild steps out before you ask, will take your mind off the transition

 

[kerryflower]

breathe and try not to think about it. pretend someone is spponfeeding you what you do...e.g half halt, sit up, support with outside hand, inside leg on, outside leg behind girth and bobs ur uncle. I tend to do rising trot but just before corner say between e/b and the corner marker i sit, breathe and just ride it step by step. with a bit of practice it worked for me

 

[Twizzel]

try a couple of leg yeild steps out before you ask, will take your mind off the transition

I second this, leg yeild before any transition either up or down is fab, engages everything nicely and like emmyc says takes your mind off the transition.

 

[JustMe22]

Walk-canter? Its pretty hard to rush one of them, and you'll find the more you squeeze rather than kick, the better the transition is.

If not, the leg yield exercise works well too Engages the inside hind properly

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

walk-canter will help.

in addition to the leg yiled exercise, first of all ride some walk-trot-walk transitions whilst in shoulder fore, then progress to doing trot-canter-trot in shoulder fore, to stop you collapsing and rushing it,and to help keep him balanced on the way back to trot.

dont pick a specific point to ARGH CANTER, do it when the trot feels good.

 

[FionaMc]

I like to do five strides trot, five strides canter, five strides trot, five strides canter and the same through walk-canter transitions. Once they start anticipating, you can vary the number of strides in each pace and make your aids more and more subtle. I think it does quite a good job of bringing their quarters underneath them and getting them thinking. It certainly wakes my mare up and one of the only ways I can get her really moving in the school.